


Cold

by orphan_account



Category: Rivers of London
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Seawoll owns a cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:29:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22947076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Over the course of his long life – longer than everyone else's as he was painfully aware– Thomas noticed that every winter, without fail, when the days grew shorter and colder, his old scars would begin aching again.
Relationships: Thomas Nightingale/Alexander Seawoll
Comments: 10
Kudos: 29





	Cold

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Margot_Lescargot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Margot_Lescargot/gifts).



> Thanks to Perching_Owl’s box of fic divination and gifted to the restless supplier of Seagale content, Margot_Lescargot.

Over the course of his long life – longer than everyone else's as he was painfully aware– Thomas noticed that every winter, without fail, when the days grew shorter and colder, his old scars would begin aching again, especially those along his right leg. The deep cuts and shattered knee cap had healed - had needed to heal for him to continue his duty - and most days he couldn’t feel them, was unaware of them even. But during the colder months of the year, when the cold settled back into his bones - not as badly as it had done during the years at the front but still enough to make him uncomfortable, more so as time passed - he could feel them again, was able to accurately place them on his skin without looking. It was only then when he truly needed the cane to walk, never sure whether his knee would be able to support his weight. It certainly didn’t feel like it.  
There was a chance these effects weren’t purely physical - Abdul had mentioned something maybe a decade ago but the term had vanished from his mind the moment the conversation moved to different matters - but were rooted in his psyche. The cold did take him back to the worst period of his life, reminded him of Ettersberg and the long way home, and Thomas sometimes found himself subconsciously reaching for a rifle that wasn’t there.

  
No matter what was causing the pain - perhaps an amalgamation of both, but he tried not to dwell on it - by the time he arrived at Alex´ place he had developed a quite noticeable limp, and the steep narrow staircase leading up to the second floor flat his partner inhabited gave him more troubles than it ought to have done, thankful for the handrail Alex had had installed after moving in.

  
Having reached the top of the stairs he had a clear view onto the sofa Alex had shoved under the sloping roof - why Alex had chosen to move into a place with sloping roofs, large as he was, Thomas couldn´t quite comprehend - and he was immediately met with the sight of Archimedes, Alex´ cat, who quite easily earned the privilege of being the largest cat Thomas had ever encountered, lounging on a large pillow that had been purchased solely for him to use.

  
Alex was out of view, puttering about in the kitchen, but he shouted a quick welcome, as Thomas rid himself of his coat and scarf, leaning his cane against the wall adjacent to the bathroom. He briefly considered taking off his jacket as well, but he decided against it, still feeling cold enough to be discomforted by it.

  
He made his way through the flat, trying his best to hide the limp - there was no need to worry Alex over such trivial things. Thomas only needed to sit for a while, he was sure, and it would be better tomorrow - and he made it halfway to his destination - the sofa, where he could join the cat, and put the weight off his leg - when his knee did give out for a brief second. He reached for the nearby side table, missing the edge he was aiming for by an inch or so.

  
The sidetable toppled over, Thomas, and the hideous vase Alex had been gifted by his mother and couldn´t quite bring himself to part with, joining it on the floor, causing his knee to hurt more than it had done before and the vase to shatter.

  
“Thomas, what the fuck?” Alex asked, turning to face him.

  
“I´m sorry, Alex. I know it was from your mother -”

  
“Never mind the fucking vase, Thomas,” his lover interrupted him, striding through the room to help him up and grasp Thomas´ shoulders with both hands to steady him. “I never liked the bloody thing anyway. What the fuck happened?”

  
“Nothing, Alexander”

  
“It obviously isn´t nothing. For fuck´s sake, I just want to help you”

  
Thomas sighed. “My leg starts hurting again when it gets cold outside. Nothing for you to worry about, love”

  
Alex moved his hands to cup Thomas´ face, warm against his cheeks. “God, Thomas, you are fucking freezing. Did you walk here?”

  
“I might have parked the car further away than strictly necessary,” he admitted. Thomas disliked the way Alex´ neighbour eyed the Jaguar, and thought it was better to err on the side of caution.

  
He allowed Alex to steer him towards the sofa, and sank onto it thankfully. Next to him Archimedes began purring as Alex left for the direction of his bedroom, only to return barely a minute later, a pair of joggers, a pair of knitted wool socks, courtesy of Molly, and one of the large, warm sweaters he liked to wear in his arms.

  
Gently Alex helped him out of his clothes, first the jacket, then the waistcoat, and, after a brief hesitation, the shirt as well, before Thomas felt him pull the light blue sweater over his head, an immediate warmth encompassing him. “There you go,” Alex muttered as he kneeled in front of him and removed his shoes, socks, and trousers, the warmer equivalents soon replacing them. They were slightly too big for him as Alex was several inches taller than he was and of a much broader built, but Thomas didn´t mind, as they eased the chilliness that had settled into his bones without him noticing just how much it was bothering him. He rested his aching leg on a nearby footstool, watching Alex as he went to switch on the kettle, gathering two of the mismatched mugs from his cupboards, and prepared their tea - in just the way Thomas liked it.

  
Archimedes rose from his sleeping place, briefly stretching himself, and then the enormous cat relocated itself on Thomas´s lap, purring even louder than he had done before, rippling through his entire body. Thomas began scratching the cat between his ears with one hand, accepting the mug of tea Alex was handing him with the other. “Thank you, darling,” he said, giving Alex a smile. His lover briefly bend down to kiss him, before disappearing yet again, this time into the bathroom.

  
He returned with a jar of ointment in his hands, and - after pulling a chair from the dining table to the sofa - pushed the leg of the joggers up as far as he could, revealing the patchwork of scarred skin Thomas carried with him wherever he went, and began rubbing the balm into the aching scars, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. It was cold at first, but soon the discomfort gave way to a pleasant sensation, and Thomas closed his eyes as the fresh, herbal smell of the balm filled the room, suddenly feeling warmer than he had done in a long time.

  
It was comforting, to be taken care of like this, and even after several years of being with Alex it hadn´t really settled in, hadn´t become normal, and he hoped that it never would, that he would forever appreciate him in the way that he deserved to be.


End file.
